John Allen Moreland, Sr

John Allen Moreland, Sr, a native of Thomasville, Georgia, passed away peacefully on October 14th at his home in Dunwoody, Georgia, surrounded by his loved ones after a long illness. He was born on December 17, 1938 in Thomasville, Georgia to Louie W. Moreland and Iris Payne Moreland. He attended Thomasville High School where he played football and the Georgia Institute of Technology where he was a member of the Kappa Alpha fraternity. John earned a B.S. in Industrial Management and then served in the U.S. Army, stationed at Fort Jackson in Columbia, SC. Upon completing his service, John moved back to Atlanta and started work for Johns Manville. John married his wife Millicent in 1965, and they bought their first home in Tucker where they met many lifelong friends. Shortly thereafter, he started a job in the insurance industry, which he worked in for over 50 years. He was Vice President at Lincoln National Life and then a General Agent for Jackson National Life for many years. After this stint working in the corporate world, John then decided to open his own insurance agency- Sommers Moreland & Associates with Gerald Sommers. He and Millicent built a house in Dunwoody in 1970 where they raised their children and still reside today. Over the years, John was active in the Jaycees and volunteered with Meals on Wheels. He grew up a Methodist and was a member of Roswell United Methodist Church.

John was a skilled carpenter who built a wooden and fiberglass trimaran and enjoyed sailing and boating at his place on Lake Lanier with his family and friends. He was a natural story and joke teller who enjoyed hunting which he did as a boy in South Georgia and with his own son and grandsons for many years. John and his son Josh organized an annual opening day hunt together which brought friends and family of all generations together. John was a colorful character who could make people laugh. He was a voracious reader. He shared a love of Georgia Tech football and the Atlanta Falcons with his daughter Lolly. He was a World War II buff and collected lots of memorabilia.

John and Millicent were married for over 60 years. They enjoyed annual trips to the beach with their children and grandchildren and loved to travel internationally. They shared a love of antiques. They enjoyed spending weekends up in the mountains in Blue Ridge with their daughter’s family. John loved Southern cooking and BBQ and always was on the lookout for a “buffet”. He bought the original Green Egg and was a master griller.

John was extremely proud of his two children and five grandchildren. Over the years, he attended their sports games, award programs, and other events and always shared words of praise and support with them in their adult years.

We are extremely grateful to John’s caregivers (Harry Mbugua, Nicodemus “Nick” Moruga, and Ryan Kuraki) who took such wonderful care of him over the past year and a half.

He is survived by his wife, Millicent, daughter, Laura “Lolly” Moreland Ward (Roger), son, John “Josh” Allen Moreland, Jr. (Wendy), and grandchildren, Lillie and Benjamin Ward, and Davis, Win, and Henry Moreland. He was predeceased by his mother, Iris Payne Boyle, stepfather, Thomas Boyle, sister, Joanne Johnson, and nephew, Neil Ross. A celebration of life will be held at Roswell United Methodist Church on October 27, 2025 at 1pm with visitation to follow. He will be interred at Green Lawn Cemetery in Roswell, GA.